Whirlpool Refrigerator WRV976FDEM00 -Ice Maker Issue

[ender1877]

Model Number

WRV976FDEM00

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

6-10 years

I had a lot of power fluctuations with hurricane Ian that began this issue. The ice maker started with not harvesting ice at all, I could feel solid ice inside the ice maker. I was able to force a harvest through the service menu, but the ice was smaller than normal. It has now stopped freezing the ice but there is water in it. I have attempted the following

-Replaced the filter
-Inlet valve is new, replaced a few months ago
-Cleaned the condenser coil and verified fan is working, was very dirty with pet hair
-Service Test 56, ice maker error codes =No errors
-Service test 57, Ice harvest=Completed
-Service Test 37 Ice box thermistor= Pass
-Service test 36 Ice box fan=I could hear it on
-Service test 58 Ice maker heat and thermistor= Heater Off and temp cooler than harvest temp
-Service test 15 Ice level sensor- Bin not full, the bin wasn't full...
-Service test 45 Ice maker water fill test- It seemed to pass, I accidently did it twice and overflowed it

I did buy a bag of ice and fill the ice bin; the ice has been slightly melting. Maybe the ice maker isn't cooling properly? I can't see how to check that. How does the ice maker get cold air from the freezer to make ice? Is that how it even works?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Jake]

Hi,

The ice box fan motor gets cold air from the evaporator coil. In your tech. data sheet do Service Test 3. Let's make sure both evaporator fan motors are running as well.

Service Test - 3: Evaporator Fan and Air Baffle Motors

--->Control the RC and FC evaporator fan motors by depressing SW3 (01 = both fan motors OFF, 02 = FC fan ON).
--->Depress SW3 once to advance. Service Test 3 will flash quickly and advance to tests 13/23 very quickly. The result is RC fan ON, pantry air damper ON. Pantry air damper will open and close automatically (13 = damper open, 23 = damper closed). Verify airflow inside pantry on left-hand side when damper is open (13 displayed). Airflow in pantry will cease when “23” is displayed.
--->Depress SW3 to advance to last step (04 = both RC and FC fans ON).

RC=refrigerator control fan
FC=freezer control fan

The most important part of the ice maker cycling on its own is temperature. The ice maker compartment MUST be under 10 degrees F at ALL times for the ice maker to cycle on it's own. Water can freeze at 32 degrees F, but the ice maker will NOT cycle the ice out of the ice tray until it gets under 10 degrees F.

So its best to get a thermometer and take the temperature of the freezer itself and the ice maker and see what they read. I always use a LASER gun thermometer, you get them at Home Depot or Lowe's.

If one or both are not running, you can actually test voltage from the Main control board, which is located on the back exterior wall of your refrigerator.

I'm attaching your tech data sheet below, look at the very bottom in that chart where it says MAIN CONTROL:

P14-1 and 14-2--->14 Volts DC--->FC FAN MOTOR OUTPUT ACTIVATE SERVICE TEST 3, STEP 2. Do that SERVICE TEST 3, STEP 2 and that will activate 14 Volts DC on those pins.

Here's the freezer evaporator fan motor assembly for your model, if needed:
W11109595 Motor-Evap


Jake

 

[ender1877]

Thanks for the reply. I buckled and paid someone to come out. The main screen for the service menu is messed up as well. I thought it was just me, but he parts of the service menu were locked out. He said he would need to replace to further troubleshoot but it could cause all this. I power cycled it, removed it and reseated the connections and the digits are still screwy, but I was able to get to test three. Is the damper the small, slotted grate to the left of the ice maker release flap? If so I could not feel any air when it should of been on. I could hear something turning off and on though as it went from 13 to 23. Thanks again

 

[ender1877]

I forgot to mention and new info. The freezer is not staying at the proper temperature as well. It was sitting around 18C, when the repair guy was testing it. During the 4th test of service test 3 I could hear both the FC and RC fans making noise. I don't know where to check the pantry for the air flow during step 2 going between 13 and 23. If the evaporator fan on the freezer isn't working properly would that explain the freezer temps not getting to the right temp and cause the ice not to freeze?

 

[ender1877]

I just noticed there is a very small amount of ice on the back of the freezer wall. Not sure if that helps with the diagnosis.

 

[Jake]

If the evaporator fan on the freezer isn't working properly would that explain the freezer temps not getting to the right temp and cause the ice not to freeze?

Exactly.

Do you take the freezer temperature with a thermometer or LASER gun?

So its best to get a thermometer and take the temperature of the freezer itself and the ice maker and see what they read. I always use a LASER gun thermometer, you get them at Home Depot or Lowe's.

 

[ender1877]

Exactly.

Do you take the freezer temperature with a thermometer or LASER gun?

I am picking one up on the way home from work today. The technician used a thermometer with a probe and found the freezer to be at 18C. I had the freezer set to -5C. Something is going on.

I did order the evaporator fan just incase. I do think I hear it on during the service test but maybe the condenser coils are frozen over or the fan is just partially working?

 

[ender1877]

I have the laser gun. Fridge is around 40F, Freezer 17F. I took the freezer compartment apart to see if the coils were frozen over. Thet had some ice, but it wasn't bad, I think. I have included pics. The fan seemed to spin freely. I didn't run service test 3 while it was apart, was sure if that was safe. Luckily it was easy to dissemble. There was a solid chunk of ice on image 2 where the large grey wrap of adhesive is though.

-I've been mixing up F and C. This post is correct...

 

[Jake]

I have the laser gun. Fridge is around 40F, Freezer 17F.

Ok, that's a little to high, the freezer should be 0F and refrigerator should be about 36F or 37F

Put the evaporator cover back in place and give it 2 hours and then take the freezer temperature again.

Jake

 

[ender1877]

I did. Even over night it only dropped to those same temps.

 

[Jake]

Then it sounds like you have a sealed system problem. Check your owners manual warranty to see if that's covered.

Look at the bottom photo below, where it says NORMAL FROST PATTERN.

 

[ender1877]

I had the a tech come back out and he verified that based on my pic. I’m just over six years, it had a five year warranty on the sealed system. I’m gonna try some leak stop as I was quoted at least 1k to fix.

 

[Jake]

Ok, but it may not be a refrigerant leak.

The sealed system consists of the compressor, condenser, evaporator, heat exchanger, filter/drier and refrigerant.

--->Common problems with a sealed system are bad compressors, refrigerant leaks, and system restrictions.

Jake

 

[ender1877]

I’m going to add some refrigerant to it and see if the temps go down.

 

[Jake]

Ok, that's fine.

Let us know how it goes.

Jake

 

[ender1877]

Another tech came out. He he confirmed the refrigerant was low with a pressure gauge of some sort. He installed a piercing valve and added refrigerant. He couldn’t locate the leak and suggested that it was in case based on his experience with this model. He did all this for free actually. The temps went down but not to the proper levels within a few hours. I added a leak a stop that my brother had used on a lot wine fridge and had good luck with.

I added a little more refrigerant and it’s down to proper temps. I’m gonna to put in some wireless temp monitors to alert me if anything is out of range. I just don’t know how long the fix will last or what happening but it’s it now. I hear some noises that weren’t there before, I think. I’m just not sure if these are normal noises that I didn’t pay attention too before or new ones?

 

[Jake]

I’m just not sure if these are normal noises that I didn’t pay attention too before or new ones?

Just monitor the temperatures in the freezer and refrigerator sections and see how it does.

If you don't have freezer thermometer you can get the RED Liquid or digital freezer thermometer. Walmart, Target sells them usually at about 10 dollars and they last a lifetime. The freezer temperature needs to be 10 degrees F or lower at all times for the ice maker to work properly.

Jake

 

[ender1877]

I’ve put in some WiFi thermometers that will alert me if the temp range is out of place.

 

[Jake]

Ok, sounds good.

Jake